A bill making its way through the state Legislature with good momentum would put a referendum on the Gainesville city ballot in the March 2018 elections that would create a board with authority over Gainesville Regional Utilities.

The results of the 2017 Gainesville City Commission general election brought defeat for incumbent Craig Carter of District 3, re-election for Helen Warren for the At-Large seat and a win for Gainesville native Harvey Ward Jr. for the District 2 seat.